


part of a machine

by Silvereye



Category: Shoujo Kakumei Utena | Revolutionary Girl Utena
Genre: Character Study, Gen, pre-canon-ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-08-19 02:10:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20202022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silvereye/pseuds/Silvereye
Summary: There is only one certain thing in Ohtori Academy: the duels will never stop.





	part of a machine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lostboywriting](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostboywriting/gifts).

> Loosely based on "Gasoline" by Halsey

There is only one certain thing in Ohtori Academy: the duels will never stop. Anthy has seen one circuit after another, student councils revolving like cogwheels. They turn, they strive, and then they fail. Anthy is not a betting woman. If she were, she would guess Kiryuu Touga as the eventual winner of this revolution.

(If she could consider this at all she would guess Arisugawa Juri, because Arisugawa only has one obvious fault line to Kiryuu's several and a comparative lack of fault lines is conducive to being a winner. But winning is kind of like being a prince and Arisugawa cannot be a prince, can she?)

There is no other option. The Rose Gate must be breached, so one of the duelists must be strong enough, eventually. Anthy has started doubting it, though. All the duelists seek the power to revolutionize the world. No one ever thinks how there has never been such a thing as a definitive revolution. Change it and it will come round again. In the end, everything says the same.

(Nothing would change for Anthy if the Rose Gate were breached, would it? Akio is not what Dios once was and it's not like there's anyone else volunteering for the swords of hatred. Akio will be as powerful as Dios, Ohtori Academy will dissipate like a bad dream and Anthy will still be Anthy.)

The duels will continue forever, which means Anthy will forever be the Rose Bride. It is uncomplicated in the arena. She only really has to give them the Sword of Dios and this does not hurt.

(And if it did, would she notice it?)

It used to be more complicated outside. She used to try to tell her duelists things, many revolutions ago. But most of them didn't believe her and those who did would not help her, or could not. So she stopped telling them. Stopped wanting things. Stopped being anything but the Rose Bride. It is very easy to be a mirror, even if it is not always painless. But this is how it is, here in Ohtori, where the duels cannot stop.

(Later, Tenjou Utena arrives and suddenly Anthy is not certain of anything any more.)


End file.
